Pain
by The-Fiction-Fangirl
Summary: When out on a simple, routine mission, Hal and Ben are attacked by bandits. They are then taken to a house in the woods, and tortured by five, ruthless men. Will they devise a plan to escape? And if so, how will they accomplish it? Will Tom and the 2nd Mass rescue them? Or will Ben and Hal receive a fate that no one saw coming...
1. Captured

**Please R&R! I want to hear from you! Hope you enjoy my newest fan fiction! :D**

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Hal and Ben were taking Matt on his first official mission. It was very simple; they were going on a food run. They had to restock the supplies back at the 2nd Mass camp.

"So, Matt. You excited?" Ben asked.

"You kidding me? Heck, yeah I am! I hated being cooped up at that camp," the youngest Mason said.

Hal chuckled. "I know, right! Being there made me feel like a caged animal."

"You're not helping the case," Ben said.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. Just speaking the truth."

The middle Mason rolled his eyes and bent down to Matt's height. "Ignore him. He's pretty much a five year old trapped in a teenager's body," he said.

"Wow. You're nice," Hal said sarcastically.

The two boys stared at each other for a moment, and then broke out into laughter.

"So, is this what missions are like for you two? You insult each other?" Matt asked.

The older brothers looked at each other, looked back at their younger sibling, nodded their heads, and said in unison, "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Great. I have to spend a whole mission with two immature geeks who just keep on _annoying _each other, and me. Well, won't this be fun."

"Whoa. Someone's got some _attitude_," Hal said as a grin spread across his lips.

"We're actually very fun guys, turd face," Ben piped up.

"Oh _really_. I doubt it, suck fish," Matt retorted. It was an ongoing thing between them. They'd pick two words, and turn them into a hopefully insulting name.

"Okay guys. Mission time," Hal told them.

"Alright. So if—"Ben started to say but was soon interrupted by a rustle in the bushes. Immediately, both Hal and Ben had their guns up.

"Matt, go hide behind that old car," Hal ordered.

"But—" Matt started to protest.

"No buts. Go. _Now_."

"Fine." Once Matt was a safe distance away, the two remaining brothers advanced towards the origin of the noise.

"On three, we go in," Hal said as he looked at his brother. "One, two—" he was cut off because five men emerged from the woods next to the road—and each of them was in possession of a gun.

"Put down your guns!" The front man yelled.

"Okay. Okay," Ben said as he slowly placed his weapon on the ground. "We don't want any—" suddenly he advanced towards the five men and punched the man on the left, nearest to him. And Hal charged at the guy on the right. They moved on to the next two guys, and surprised them.

They were just about to take on the last man—the one who spoke first—when he fired a bullet into Ben's right leg.

"Ahhh!" Ben screamed as he fell to the ground clutching his thigh.

"Ben!" Hal said as he started to run towards his little brother, but stopped when the man pointed his gun at the oldest Mason boy's head. By now, the other four men who were taken out first, were back on their feet and also had their guns trained on the teenager.

"Now, you two can either come with us _compliantly_, or we can shoot the kid again."

"No! Okay. We'll go. But at least let me help him. He can't walk," Hal pleaded.

"Fine. Get him up."

Hal rushed over to Ben. "You're gonna be fine. We'll get out of this. Come on," he said as he heaved his brother up and slung his arm across his shoulder to steady him as he limped into the woods.

Slowly, they descended deeper into the forest. Three men in front of the brothers, and two in back of them.

They didn't know why these men wanted them, but they _did _know that they had to find a way to escape. And fast.

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**So guys, how was that? Please post reviews for me. If you have any tips or criticism or improvements, please let me know! :)**


	2. Alerted

Matt watched helplessly as the three men guided Ben and Hal into the woods.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. Ben. Hal," he whispered to himself.

Once they disappeared into the forest, Matt jumped to his feet, and ran. He ran all the way back to the 2nd Mass camp. When he got there, he immediately found his father.

"Dad!"

"Hey, buddy. How'd the mission go?" At first Tom had a smile on his face, but after seeing his son's distressed expression, he grew concerned. "What's wrong, Matt? Where's Ben and Hal?"

"We were on our way to do the mission, when we heard something. Hal told me to go hide behind a car, and I did. Then these five men walked out of the woods. They had guns. They told Ben and Hal to drop their weapons, and they did. But then they attacked the five men, unarmed. They almost had them, too. But the last guy—I think he was the leader—stopped them," he said worriedly.

"Are they okay?"

"No. Ben got shot in the leg."

"Okay. Did you see the guy? Or where they went?"

"The main guy had brown hair, and a beard. I only know they went into the woods. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"No! It's not. It's the fault of these five men. You did the right thing. So did Ben and Hal. If you were taken with your brothers, then we would've had no information. We wouldn't know where to start. Don't worry. Either we'll find 'em, or they'll think of a way out. They're smart like that," Tom reassured his youngest child. "We'll figure out something. We'll get them back. Stay right here, Matt. I have to go talk to Captain Weaver."

Matt nodded as he watched his father walk away. As he stood there, he couldn't help but think part of this was his fault. He just _watched _the men take his brothers away. He just _watched _Ben get shot in the leg. He could've helped. He _should've _helped.

He just knew that he had to help get his brothers back. And he was prepared to do anything. When they found Ben and Hal—and they _would _find them—no one was going to stop him from going on _that _mission. He needed their forgiveness. He needed their guidance. He needed _them_.

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**I know this chapter was a bit shorter, but I'll probably get some more stuff in today. Please keep posting reviews! They make me happy! :D**


	3. The Cabin

**Okay. Just a warning. Ben gets tortured in this bit. So be prepared, Ben girls. Sorry. :( It kind of just ended up like this.**

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After what seemed like forever in the woods, Ben and Hal finally reached an old house. It looked like it had been used a thousand times, but also looked abandoned.

When they walked inside, they saw two chairs across from each other. They had about ten feet in between them. The five men walked the two brothers over to the furniture and sat them down. One man was with Hal, and another with Ben. Immediately after they had their prisoners sit down, they whipped out some twine and tied their wrists to the arms of the chairs, and their ankles to the legs.

"What do you want from us? Cause if it's goodies, we don't have any," Hal said.

"Oh we'll get our goodies. Just not from you guys. You see, you're presents for an ally of ours. Said she was looking for you, Hal. You, too, Ben," the front man said.

"How do you know our names? Who are you?" Ben asked angrily.

"Oh I'm sorry. My name is Roger," the leader said. "This here is Hank, Jace, Lloyd, and Cyrus," Roger said as he gestured to the four other men.

"So what are you gonna do with us?" Hal demanded.

"Well, our buyer said she wanted you _alive_. She never said that we couldn't have a little _fun_ with you boys." As he spoke, an evil grin spread across all five men's faces.

Hal looked at Ben. He and his brother exchanged worried glances. They did _not _like the sound of that.

"How about we start with you," Roger said as he walked over to Ben.

"You stay away from him!" Hal shouted as he struggled at his bonds.

"Don't worry. You'll get your turn. First, Ben." The lead man bent down. "How's that leg of yours?" he asked as he placed his hand over the place where the bullet went in. "I hope it didn't hurt too much." As he said this, he pushed down hard on Ben's wound, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Ahhh!" the middle Mason said, followed by a few grunts.

"No! Ben! Step away from him, you worthless low life," Hal said. He was hoping to draw Roger away from Ben.

"Oh! Seems like I hit a soft spot. Two for one. If I _physically_ torture Ben, I _mentally _torture you, Hal. This is going to be fun." Roger stepped away from Ben and walked over to a fireplace at the other end of the room. On his way there, he picked up a small dagger. Then he bent over and dipped it into the fire.

"This is a special little treat," he said as he waltzed back over to Ben's chair. There, he picked up the younger Mason's T-Shirt and placed the blade against his skin.

"Ahhhhh!" Ben screamed. He yelled and grunted as Roger repeated his torture method several times.

Every single time, Hal winced and screamed, "Stop! No, stop it! Ben! Stop it, now!" but Roger wouldn't listen, and the oldest Mason had to watch as his brother yelled in pain and agony.

Once Roger pulled the dagger away from Ben's stomach, he brought it up to his arm.

"Okay. Scream if this hurts," he said as he cut across the boy's arm.

"Ahhhh!" Ben yelled out.

"Oh. It hurts? Wonderful!"

"You monster. Why are you doing this?" Hal asked as Roger passed him on his way to reheat his dagger.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" he replied as he walked back to Ben. "It's super fun." And with this, he placed the blade on the young teenager's cheek, causing him to scream in agony once again.

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**So there it is. Please don't kill me! Give me reviews. I want to hear your thoughts! :)**


	4. Planning

"We have to go get them!" Tom screamed. He had entered Weaver's tent a few minutes ago and was explaining the situation to him.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't. I'm saying we should have a plan. We don't know who these guys are or what they want," Weaver told his friend.

"Exactly! These men could be doing _God _knows what to my sons. They need our help."

"And we will help them, we just have to—"

" 'We just have to' what? We just have to wait? Cause I'm not doing that! I need to get my sons back. Their mother I dead. They're my responsibility. They're my children. They're my _everything_."

"We're gonna get them back. I'll make sure that we do. We'll gather up a rescue team. But _first_, we have to get more information. Go back to the site of which it happened. Bring Matt. Maybe he can remember something important. I promise you, I'm gonna put the best men on this job. But we need more facts. If we're gonna help Ben and Hal, we need to be smart."

"Okay. Okay," Tom said as he wiped tears from his eyes. "I understand. I'm sorry. I just kinda lost it. It's just—"

"I get it, Tom. I'd be the same way if it were my daughter. But we'll get 'em back. That is, if they don't get out first. Them boys are smart. But, I promise you, your sons will make it back to this camp."

"Thanks, Weaver."

"Alright. Now have Matt take you to the place where it all went down. Take Anthony with you, too."

"Okay," Tom replied as he started walking out the tent. "And thanks again, Captain."

"No worries. Now you best be going. Them boys of yours need you," he said with a smile.

Tom returned a tight smile, and walked outside.

"Poor Tom. So much has happened to that family. Hope them boys are okay," he huffed to no one in particular.

Once Tom was out of Weaver's tent, he went to go find Anthony. Then the two of them rushed back to Matt. There was only one thought that ran through the father Mason's head:

_Hang in there boys, I'm coming. Oh God, please let them be alright._

For several minutes, it was only this thought in his head, playing on a loop. Tom was going to get his sons back. And then, he was going to make the men pay for messing with his children. Nothing else mattered anymore. Just this. And only this.

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**So there's chapter four. I'm hoping you guys like this story! Leave me reviews! I love hearing from you guys! :{D (It's a mustached man!)**


	5. Abbie

"Ben? Ben! Ben, you alright?" Hal asked. The five men had left. Said they had to do something. The brothers didn't know what, and they didn't care. They were just glad that the bandits were gone.

"Uhhh," Ben groaned.

"Ben! I'm so sorry! How much does it hurt?"

The younger Mason coughed. "I'll live."

"You look horrible."

"Thanks."

"No. Seriously. I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen."

"It's fine. Not your fault."

Hal gave his brother a weak smile. "Listen—" he was cut off because someone coughed. It wasn't him, and it wasn't Ben. Hal was watching. Another cough. The two brothers looked for the origin of the sound, and found that they were looking at a dirty girl in the corner of the room.

She had been so quiet before, they hadn't noticed her. She looked about sixteen years old, and had mud smeared all over her face. She was sitting in a chair identical to the ones the Mason boys were in, with her hands and feet bound in the same way as them.

"Hey," Ben said in a gentle voice. "Who are you?"

"A-A-A-Abbie," she stuttered out.

"Okay, Abbie. My name is Ben and that's my brother, Hal."

She looked at Ben, and then dropped her gaze. "I-I-I-I'm so-so-sorry."

"For what?"

"Ro-Ro-Roger. He's not ve-very ni-nice."

"Oh. It's not your fault," Hal piped up. "How long have you been here, Abbie?"

"My wh-who-whole life,"

"What?" Ben asked.

"Roger is m-my father," she replied sadly.

"Oh. Well don't worry. We're gonna get out of here. And when we do, we'll take you back to our camp. You'll be safe there," Hal reassured her.

"If you're Roger's daughter, why are you in here?" the younger Mason asked.

"Didn't want t-to help."

"Didn't want to help…your father? Kidnap?"

"Y-yes," she said.

"Okay. Well, you won't be here much longer. Do you trust us?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Cause we're gonna need you to." Ben refocused his attention to Hal. "What do we do? We need a plan."

"Yeah. We need to get this rope off us. With this on, we won't be able to do much."

"True. Well we could—no. Or—no. Geez. I think this is gonna be harder than we thought."

"We'll make it work. Don't we always?"

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**Hey. So, these chapter have been pretty short. I'll try to get a longer one in. Please leave reviews! :)**


	6. Clues

"Okay. So you're sure this is the place, Matt?" Tom asked. He and Anthony were following Matt's memory to try and find where Ben and Hal were attacked.

"Positive," he replied.

"Alright. We—" he was cut short at the sight of some blood on the road. It was a small pool, near the edge of the forest. He bent down to get a better look at it and could see drops leading into the woods. "We should search in here," Tom said gesturing to the forest.

"Maybe we should gather a bigger team," Anthony suggested.

"No. Matt, you said they went into the woods, right?" Mr. Mason asked as he faced his son.

"Yes."

"Well, there it is. They have to be in there," he said, turning his attention back to the soldier.

"Yes. I know," Anthony said. "Hold on." And with that, he started into the woods. "Just stay there," he told them, and disappeared into the forest.

A few minutes later, he came back out. "I could see tracks and some more blood."

"Exactly. They're in there. I know it. They need us," Tom said.

"I understand. But if they are there, we can only assume that the five men are, too. And we're only three. We're gonna need back up. I'm not saying we won't go. I'm saying we won't be much help if we're dead. Five against three. I don't really like those odds, do you?

As much as Tom wanted to go right that second, he knew that Anthony was right. They couldn't just charge into the woods outnumbered, and without a plan. "Okay. Fine. So we go back to camp and get some more soldiers."

"Yes. Don't worry. We'll get them back. I know the entire _camp _will make sure of that. They're good kids. Smart, too. They'll get outta there. Either with help from us, or they'll do it their selves."

"That's what Weaver said," Mr. Mason replied, remembering the conversation he had in the tent.

"Well, he would be right. And I know you understand how intelligent those boys are."

"Yeah. All three of them," he said walking over to Matt and ruffling his hair. "Now, let's go get some soldiers. I want my sons back."

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**Sorry. Short chapter...again. Hopefully the next ones will be longer. Just bear with me! And, as usual, please leave me reviews! :D**


	7. Escape Plan

**Alright! Here's chapter seven of ****_Pain_****. Hope you enjoy! Please R&R! :D**

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"Does Roger ever let you go to the bathroom?" Hal asked Abbie. She was still afraid, but she was slowly losing her stutter.

"Y-yes. Sometimes, he does."

"Okay. That's good. We can use that to our advantage. Who usually takes you?"

"Either Jace or Cyrus."

"Let me do this, Hal," Ben said to his brother. "I can do this. Trust me."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna go outside. Like Abbie said, Jace or Cyrus. That means one guy, right Abbie?"

"Yes. One guy," she confirmed.

"Okay. Good. I know what I'm doing. Just, trust me," Ben told Hal and Abbie.

"Alright. So—" the oldest Mason was just about to run through the plan again, when Roger and his buddies walked in. Hal caught his little brother's eyes, and nodded. As a signal to go ahead and commence phase one.

"Hey, uh, Roger?" Ben asked.

"What?" he growled back.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Too bad."

"But, I mean, I really have to go. And I'll just keep pestering you. I don't think you want that."

He seemed to ponder this a while before saying, "Fine. Jace, take him out."

Finally, a man with a brown beard and walked over and untied Ben. As they were walking out, the teen noticed a small dagger in Jace's back pocket. Perfect.

Once they were outside, Ben pretended to walk away towards some bushes, and then turned around and punched Jace's face. Then his stomach. And as he was bent over with his arms around his belly, Ben quickly snuck out the pocket knife and slid it into his own back pocket. Then, he covered it with his shirt.

Only seconds after he had hidden the knife, Jace was standing up again. Ben stood there as his captor's hand whipped across the middle Mason's face.

"Come on," he huffed as he grabbed the teenager's arm and guided him back inside. Once they were through the door, all the heads whipped around to face the pair from outside.

"What happened?" Roger demanded.

"Dumb kid tried to escape. But I caught him."

"Idiot," the front man said as his hand raced across Ben's face with a loud smack. Then he turned his attention back to Jace. "Tie him up again. We gotta go. We'll be back in about ten minutes." And with that, Roger and the three others walked out the cabin door.

The last guy in there walked Ben over to his chair—and in the rush that he was in—tied him up a different way. He bound the teen's two hands together. Then he took some more rope and tied it around both Ben's body and the chair. And finally, he tied his feet up the same way.

As Jace prepared to leave, he slapped Ben again for good measure. Almost as if to say, _don't you dare do that again, kid._ And left without another word, locking the door behind him.

"You alright, Ben? What happened?" Hal asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Since the guy who had just left tied only his wrists together, he was free to move his arms around a little. So, he took his hands and guided them to his back pocket where he stored the knife. After about a minute, he finally got hold of the handle and pulled it out of his pants.

"Way to go, Ben. How did you know that it would work out like that?" the older Mason asked.

"I didn't. I just had a feeling I was going to get lucky."

"Ben!"

"What?"

That could've been our only chance! You shouldn't have gone on a _feeling_!"

"Well, it worked. Didn't it?"

"Yeah. But, just next time, actually have a plan. A _real _plan that you're sure will work."

"Fine."

"Okay. Good. Now get us out of here."

"Alright," Ben said as he finished up cutting away the twine at his ankles. Then he started to work on the rope around his chest. Once he finished he walked over to Hal and cut his bonds away, and then had him help the middle Mason with the stuff around his hands.

As Ben rubbed his wrists, Hal freed Abbie. "Alright. What now?" he asked as he stood up straight and stretched his back.

"Well, Roger said he'd be back in ten minutes. How long did that just take us?" Abbie said for the first time without a stutter.

The two brothers quickly recovered from their shock and Hal answered, "I'd say about seven or eight."

"Okay. So we gotta get out of here. And fast," Ben piped up.

"No argument there. Abbie, you alright to walk?" Hal said.

"Yes. I'm fine," she replied.

"Alright. Good. Follow me. I remember the way."

"Okay. Abbie, get behind me," Ben said. And stretched hand out behind him as the young girl fell into line right behind the teenager. "Let's do this." And with this, he walked in front of Hal and kicked open the door.

"Nice one," Hal said to his little brother.

"Thanks."

"Okay. Let's go. And be quiet. Just in case if Roger and his gang come back."

A few seconds later, they were all shuffling out the door in a single file line. A few minutes later, they heard rustling of bushes and the sound of Roger's voice. They stood there helplessly as their captors emerged from the bushes. The whole group just stood there in awe, as they watched the three teens trying to escape.

For a few second, they just stood there and looked each other down. Like they were having a staring contest. Then finally, Roger pulled out a gun.

He was aiming at Hal, and Ben knew it. And in a split second decision, he pushed his big brother to the side as Roger fired. The bullet had shot itself straight into the side of Ben's stomach. Hal looked down at him, and then charged straight at Roger, Jace, Hank, Lloyd, and Cyrus.

Luckily, only Roger had a gun and the others had to fight with their fists. For a few seconds, Abbie stood there confused, but then ran in after Hal. She pulled out the knife that they had used earlier. Apparently, she had taken it from Hal after he freed her. While she and the oldest Mason fought Jace, Hank, Lloyd, and Cyrus, Roger charged after Ben who was still laying on the ground.

He ran over and sat down on a gasping Ben Mason. He didn't feel the need to use the gun anymore, he just wanted to cause the kid a lot of physical pain. He wasn't going to let the kid die, and get off easy.

For that amount of time, he forgot about his agreement with the woman. This kid had caused him too much trouble, and he wanted him to suffer. So he balled up his hands into fist and started punching Ben repeatedly.

When Hal looked back and saw Roger beating his little brother again, he felt a new surge of energy. He was sick of these people messing with him and his brother. He attacked the four men with new force and eventually knocked them both out. ||Then, he looked over to Abbie. She was actually a pretty good fighter with that knife. She was cutting, but not killing. She could use it so that they stayed away from her, but she wasn't murdering them. He guessed that sixteen years of hate bottled up, did equal some torment. Not killing, but physical pain.

Speaking of physical pain, Hal looked over again to see Roger still on top of Ben. Feeling hatred of his own, he rushed over to them and kicked the man in the face. Then, he raced to the other side and grabbed the gun while he was still down. Next, Roger stood up and ran towards Hal with a pocket knife of his own, only to be met with a bullet to the head.

It wasn't cold blood murder though. This man had attacked, kidnapped, and beaten him and his brother. He was only asking for it. After a few moments, Hal dropped the gun and ran over to his brother. "Ben? Ben! Listen to me. Wake up! Are you alright?"

"Uhhhh," he moaned.

"Come on. Up!" Hal said as he threw his brother's arm over his own shoulder. "You're okay. You're fine. We can go home now. And we are. Come on, Abbie."

Luckily, Ben was still alive. He was even conscious enough to walk a little. Still limping from being shot in the leg, and moaning from being punched repeatedly and being shot _again _in the stomach.

After a while, Abbie stepped up and let Ben's other arm rest on her shoulder. And together, all three of them walked back to the 2nd Mass camp as fast as they could.

When they got there, Ben had had enough. They had only just crossed the threshold when he collapsed—unconscious.

"Alright, Ben. You deserve this. Come on," Hal said as he picked up his little brother and started running with him in his arms. It was only then that he realized how bad Ben looked.

He had a burn mark on his cheek from the hot blade, and probably had more on his stomach. He was bleeding, too. He was shot twice—once in the leg and once in the stomach. The good thing was, that he wasn't bleeding a _ton_. Which hopefully meant that the bullet didn't hit anything important. In fact, it looked like both bullets had gone straight through him. Thank God. At least he knew that there weren't any bullets wedged inside of Ben.

But Hal still felt guilty. Ben had taken that bullet for _him_. God, his brother was a complete _idiot_. But he loved him anyway. How could he not? He has saved his life more than once. Ben was also bleeding from his nose. Hal guessed it was from Roger that last hour. And he had a little blood on the side of his head. Geez, this kid looked _horrible_. He needed to get him to Anne. _Fast_.

On his way to the medical bus, Hal ran into his father. He was bustling around when he almost walked into his oldest son.

"Hal? Hal! Are you alright? Wait, what's happened to Ben?"

"I'll explain later. Too long of a story. We need to get to Anne. Ben's been shot in the stomach. It looked like it went straight through, though."

"Oh my God! Alright go now. I'll meet you there soon."

"Okay. Abbie, come with me."

"Alright."

And together, they rushed down to the bus.

"Knock on the door, Abbie! Quickly!"

"Okay," she said as she pounded on the door.

"Anne! Help!" Hal yelled.

"Coming!" She opened the door. "Hal! I—oh dear," she said as she noticed Ben for the first time. "Get in here. Come on. Now."

"I'm sorry, Ben, You're gonna be fine," Hal said to Ben's unconscious form, and then walked in the bus. Abbie right behind him.

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**Aha! I did it! A longer chapter! Please let me know in the reviews if you like this! I'd really appreciate itX! :)**


	8. Still Not Safe

**Chapter eight! Enjoy! :DDDD**

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As soon as Hal got in the door, he rushed over to the nearest table and set Ben down. He had better be okay, or else Hal was going to have to do some skull breaking.

Despite his complaints and pleads, Anne made Hal leave the medical bus so that she and Lourdes could work on Ben. Finally, he accepted the fact that they were _not _going to let him in, and headed outside to meet up with his father.

"Hey, dad. I have a mission to do."

"What? No way. You just got back. And you could've died. I'm not letting you go out on another one. No, not yet," Tom replied sternly.

"But, dad. This is about that. Those men, four of them were knocked out. I just want to go back and see. You can come with, too. If that makes you feel better. But I have to do this."

Mr. Mason stood there—thinking—for about a minute. "Fine. But yes. I'm coming with you. Let's go grab some guns," he said.

Once the two men were geared up, they set off in the direction of where Hal and Ben were taken. In a matter of minutes, they were back at the same road. Seeing the road made him remember what happened to Ben, and he shuddered. He wanted to find these guys, and kill them for what they did to his brother.

Since he was lost in thought imagining how he was going to murder the four other men, he didn't see Jace emerge slowly from the woods. Tom didn't see it either because his back was turned and he was looking at the other side of the road.

Finally, in a state of confusion, he said to his dad, "Maybe we should go into the woods. I don't know." And with these last words, he spread his arms open wide, leaving his body unprotected. And then Jace took his chances.

He threw another small knife right at Hal. The older Mason boy—still unaware of the situation—could only stand there as the dagger plunged itself into his stomach. He gasped, and fell back onto the road, sputtering.

Thankfully, Tom turned around and quickly handled the situation. He brought up his gun, and shot at the man peeking out of the woods, and watched as the hit and the guy fell back—dead. Then he rushed over to his son.

"No1 No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! Hal! Can you hear me?"

Hal tried to respond and opened his mouth to speak, but instead he coughed up some blood onto the pavement.

"Okay. Come on! Please, stay with me," Tom cried out as he slung his gun across his back and picked up his son. Being extra careful with the knife sticking out of his stomach, and ran back to the 2nd Mass camp. This wasn't supposed to happen. Especially not to _two _of his sons!

When he reached the campsite, Hal had passed out. So Tom rushed him to the medical bus and banged on the doors.

"Anne! Please! Help me!"

When the door opened, Anne had bloody gloves on. "Tom! What—get him in here," she said as she saw the knife in Hal's stomach. "Set him down on a table, quickly."

As Tom obeyed, he noticed Ben on the other table. His poor boys. _Two _of them.

"Okay. Tom, you have to get out of here. We need our space," Lourdes piped up, trying to steer him away with bloody gloves as well.

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Tom. You know we'll take good care of hem," Anne tried to reassure Mr. Mason.

"I—fine. But please, help them."

"You know we will," Lourdes replied.

"O-okay," Tom got out as he walked out the door, stealing one last look at his two boys sitting bloody on a table. These boys were gonna be the death of him. _Please, God. Let them be okay. They haven't done anything wrong. Please. _

Once he was out the door, Tom immediately ran to find Matt. He needed to find his other son—safe.

After a few minutes, he finally ran into him. A flush of relief showed on Mr. Mason's face.

"Dad! What's wrong? Where are Hal and Ben? Are they okay?" Matt asked.

"Umm, they're gonna be fine. They were hurt and are in the hospital."

"What?"

"But don't worry. Anne and Lourdes are with them. They'll make them better. Don't they always?"

"Yeah. I guess. Can we go see them?"

"In a little bit."

"Okay," the youngest Mason said as he walked into his father's arms.

For a moment, Tom was happy. One of his boys was safe. And he knew that his other two were gonna be fine, too. They were in good hands. But he still couldn't stop worrying. What father wouldn't in his position?

Finally, Tom picked up his youngest son and carried him over to the medical bus. When Anne came out to tell them it was okay to come in—and she would—they would be there.

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**Okay. As always, leave reviews! I ****_really _****wanna hear from you guys! :)**


	9. Ready

As Tom and Matt were waiting outside the medical bus, they couldn't stop worrying.

Tom was still blaming himself. He should've been there when Hal got stabbed. He should have been right next to him. Looking for any signs of danger.

Matt was very scared. He knew that he could only _hope _that they would be okay, and that made him mad. He wanted to be able to _do _something to help his big brothers. He knew that whenever Ben, Hal, or his dad went out on a mission, they could get hurt or even die. He just didn't really expect it to happen. They always came back safe. But now—knowing that they can and probably will get hurt again in the future—he wanted nothing more than to help them. He needed them to stay alive and come back. He'd already lost his mom. He'd lost Ben once, and he wasn't about to lose him again, along with the rest of his family.

"They're gonna be fine, right?" Matt asked his father.

"What?"

"Ben and Hal. They're gonna be okay?"

"Of course. Anne and Lourdes are very skilled. They'll fix 'em right up."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Matt," Tom sighed as he waved his son over. The youngest Mason jumped down from his chair and walked into his father's hug. "You know Ben and Hal," he said as he lifted Matt up into his lap. "Do you really think that they'd leave you?"

"No. I guess not."

"Exactly. They're way too stubborn for that. And they wouldn't go down without a fight."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Now come here," Mr. Mason said, pulling his son into another embrace and kissing him lightly on the top of his head.

The two Masons were so caught up in their own conversation, they almost didn't notice when Anne walked out of the medical bus. Immediately, Tom stood up and put Matt down, and the two men looked at Dr. Glass expectantly.

She looked at them and smiled. "They're awake."

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Another short one, sorry. Please leave me reviews! :{DDDD


	10. Bonding

**Alright. Here's chapter ten! Please R&R! I wanna hear what you think! ;)**

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When Ben came to, he found himself in the medical bus with a _horrible _throbbing in his head. Then, the last couple of hours flashed through his head. Roger. Jace. Hal. Abbie. The escape. The beating. The bullets. The pain.

When he lifted his body, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his stomach. Probably from the bullet wound. As he scanned the room, he noticed another person in the back. As he focused more on him, he realized that it was Hal. Why was he in the medical bus? What had happened while he was out?

Ben jumped down, and felt a searing pain from his leg. He has never been shot twice in one day. So he hopped on his left foot all the way to Hal, and sat down in the chair next to him. As he was settling himself in, Hal's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey. Look who's up," the oldest Mason son said.

"What the heck happened? I could only have been out for a couple of hours!"

"Huh?"

"Why are you in the medical bus?"

"Oh. Well, I _may _have gone out to the place where we got captured. And Jace _may _have come out of the woods. Then he _may _have thrown a knife. And I _may _have gotten a dagger stuck in my stomach."

"Hal."

"Yeah?"

"You're an idiot."

"Oh. _I'm _the idiot. What was that 'I'm gonna push Hal aside and take a bullet for him' crap?"

"It was a split second decision. I'm sorry I chose to save you."

"You could've died!"

"You could've too if I didn't take it! But I guess it wouldn't of have mattered since you got yourself _stabbed _anyway."

"Not my fault."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Why'd you have to go annoy the people that don't like us and want to _kill _us?"

"Well, when we were back in the woods, me and Abbie only knocked the other four guys out. We were unarmed, and we had to save your sorry butt."

"Oh. _You _had to save _me_? As I recall, I took a bullet for you!"

"Yes. But you were laying there helplessly as Roger beat the life out of you!"

"Well I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Roger had me pinned down, and I couldn't fight back. But then again, I did get shot in the stomach and in the leg. I wasn't at my top strength."

"Well the stomach shot wasn't _shoved _upon you. You _decided _to take it for me."

"Yes. And looking back at it know, it was a smart choice."

"How?"

"Well, I had already been shot in the leg. If _you _were shot in the stomach, then you couldn't have fought. I didn't have the mobility to fight. Then Abbie would have been alone, and we would've never gotten away."

"Okay."

"And, you did carry me back to camp. If you didn't, I would've died."

"So, can we call it even? I'm sick of this. It's a _stupid _argument."

"True. We're even. I saved you, and you saved me. That's it."

"Good."

"Although, a knife? Seriously? How did you not see him?"

"I was a bit preoccupied."

"Okay. How'd he get an open shot?"

"Well, I was talking to dad. And then I _may _have spread my arms apart giving him an open target."

"Hal, I—I have no words."

"Sorry! My bad. Hey, who do you think those goons were working for?

"I don't know, maybe—" Ben couldn't finish his sentence because Anne had just walked in.

"Ben? How'd you get over there? Did you walk?" Dr. Glass asked.

"More like hopped."

"Don't do that! You're leg needs a break. I have a crutch for you."

"Okay. Thanks, Anne"

"Your welcome. I'll bring in Matt and your father. They're waiting outside."

"Alright. Me and Hal will be here. I don't think we'll be moving for a little while."

Anne Glass nodded, and ducked out of the bus. When she came back, Matt and Tom were with her. When Mr. Mason saw both his boys up, he had a flush of relief.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Anne said, and then left without another word.

"Hal. Ben. Thank _God _you're alright," Tom told his two older sons.

"We're fine, dad," Hal replied.

"Ben! Hal! You're okay!" Matt said as he raced over to his brothers.

"Be careful, Matt! They're hurt."

"Oh no. We're okay, dad," Ben said.

"I am _so _sorry, boys," Mr. Mason said.

"For what?" Hal asked.

"You're hurt. If I'd gotten to you sooner—"

"Dad. This isn't your fault."

"But—"

"No."

"Hal's right," Ben piped up.

"You're both so brave," Tom said as he walked over with tears in his eyes.

"Well, all of that is over. What's important is that we're all here. Now. Safe." The middle Mason said.

"Yes. And I'm so glad you are."

"Well," Hal said. "It seems like me and Ben won't be going anywhere anytime soon so, Matt."

"Yeah?"

"What would you say to a game of Monopoly?"

"For real?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay! And maybe I'll go easy on you. You know, since you're hurt."

"Nah. We wanna see what you've got. Cause, truth be told, we don't think you can beat us. Do you?"

"Oh I'm _sure _I can."

"Alright then. Why don't you go get the game."

"Sure! Be right back," the youngest Mason said as he rushed away to find the board game.

"Oh my boys," Tom said as he embraced his two remaining sons. "My boys. I'm just happy you're safe."

"Yeah. We are too. We are too, dad," Hal told his father.

"So," Ben said once Tom released them. "You staying for Monopoly?"

"You know it."

"Like old times."

"Yeah. Like old times."

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**So there it was! And I'm not finished yet. I think i'm going to add another chapter about: blankblankblankblankblankblankblankblankblankblank blankblankblank! I'd tell you but, NO SPOILERS FOR YOU! ;) Hehe, I'm evil... But yeah! Anyway, leave me a REVIEW! :DDDD**


	11. Meeting

**Okay. Here it is! :) Short, yes. I know. Sorry 'bout that. But R&R please!**

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As Abbie hid behind the bushes, she could see Hank, Lloyd, and Cyrus all standing together by a spaceship. She could also see a woman with them.

By the looks of it, the woman was yelling at the three remaining bandits. It probably had something to do with those Ben and Hal characters. She knew that it was their job to capture them and deliver.

"Idiots! You were supposed to bring Hal Mason and Ben Mason to us," the mystery woman yelled.

"We're sorry. We—"

"No. You're _going _to be sorry," she said as three skitters walked off the ship, and took the three men away. Abbie really didn't want to know what was going to happen to them. Nothing good. You don't tick off advanced aliens that could have a lot of torture methods.

When they were gone, Abbie walked towards the aircraft.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," the woman replied. "Report."

"I have gained the trust of the Masons. They believe that I was just a victim of five men. They suspect nothing."

"And you're sure?"

"Completely."

"Okay. Well done. We shall be keeping in touch."

"Yes. Thank you, Karen."

"And you will bring them to us?"

"Of course. Hal and Ben Mason won't know what got them. They will be at your mercy soon enough. It's just a matter of time," Abbie said mischievously.

"Perfect. We will get those Mason boys. And we'll make them wish they never double crossed us." As Karen spoke, an evil grin spread across her lips. "Get ready boys. Because we're coming for you."

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**I hope that was a good enough cliffhanger! Hehe... Please leave reviews! I wanna know what you guys thought! **

**I was thinking about continuing this...in a different story. Would you peeps approve?! Tell me in a review or you could PM me! But TELL ME! :)**


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